Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

Steve Pavlina wrote what I thought was a fun thought to attempt in loosening up the workplace. I know that in the pressure of everyday work life, there is a real need to let lose once in a while and let go.

Do you want to know if you are taking things a little too seriously? Then find out what your reaction would be to somebody doing something funny or playful at work.

Steve mentions that "Recently I’ve been having some fun with something I call “bear bombing.”  If my wife and kids decide they want to keep sleeping well past dawn, I grab my trusty digital kitchen timer (one with a very loud alarm), set the fuse for 4 seconds, and take up a position just outside one of their bedroom doors.  Then in one fluid movement, I hit the timer’s start button, open the door, and lob the bear grenade onto the bed before closing the door and diving for cover.  As the bear grenade explodes with thunderous noise, I enjoy sadistic amusement at the bear’s adrenaline-fueled confusion at being forcibly roused from hibernation.  While a normal alarm clock can be turned off and disregarded, the ensuing hormonal storm that bear bombing creates in the hapless bear never fails to ensure the bear’s continued wakefulness.  Apparently, anger, betrayal, and bloodlust are even better stimulants than caffeine."

He goes on to tie it in to a person and their lingering "too long in the state of unconscious living."

The point is that people need to have an occasional wakeup call to to break them out of the negative patterns of their lives.

He also says "Most bears will not take kindly to bear bombing; however, once a certain frequency of bear bombing is established (at least weekly), the bear will find it increasingly difficult to return to full hibernation.  And ultimately the bear’s newfound consciousness may lead the bear to make some genuine changes to improve the bear’s living conditions.  This has the net effect of improving the conditions for everyone, since a conscious, happy bear is a sight to behold."

I like that. I know that without thinking of it in this context I've lobbed a few of these grenades myself throughout the years and have found, even with the initial grumble, most people like how it made them feel (even when they don't publicly admit it).

We need this type of thing in the workplace to simply encourage us as the heat continually puts the pressure on us. A little bit of "bombing" will do wonders for the motivation.